American Paddlefish

Description:

American paddlefish at the Tulsa Aquarium. These guys are living fossils, having been around for 300 million years, that's longer than the dinosaurs! They feed by opening their mouth kinda like a basking shark and filter feed on zooplankton. Their snouts have lots of electrical sensors so in that vein they're kinda like sharks, along with the cartilaginous skeletons.

Habitat:

The current range of American paddlefish has been reduced to the Mississippi and Missouri River tributaries and Mobile Bay drainage basin. Despite being listed as vulnerable and having their populations reduced, the populations in Kansas are stable.